FLOTILA PARODY A HIT WITH YOUTUBE

CNN reports that the parody was the work of Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick, who served in the Israel Defense Forces.Israel apologizes for sending link to flotilla parodyLiz Goodwin/Yahoo News

The Israeli government has apologized for sending the press a link to an online video parodying last week’s deadly commando raid on a flotilla of pro-Gaza activists.The video, which promptly went viral, has stirred up further outrage about the fallout from the raid, with some calling for the video’s apparent creator, a Jerusalem Post columnist, to be fired for spoofing the circumstances of an attack claiming nine fatalities.

The video shows people dressed up as Gaza activists, some in Arab-looking attire, singing “We Con the World” to the tune of the Michael Jackson hit “We Are the World” — with the “we” being the activists seeking to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Waving knives and batons, the faux-activists sing: “We’ll make the world abandon reason / We’ll make them believe that the Hamas is Momma Teresa,” and, “As Allah has shown us / For facts there’s no demand.”

The link had been “sent for our perusal” and “was not intended for general release,” Israel’s Government Press Office announced in its apology statement. “The contents of the video in no way represent the official policy of either the Government Press Office or of the State of Israel.”

Israel maintains that the activists initiated the violence, and its footage from the attack shows Gaza activists waving knives and using batons.

The music video may have been released inadvertently, but it has since become a viral hit online, clocking nearly 2 million hits on YouTube. CNN reports that the parody was the work of Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick, who served in the Israel Defense Forces.